Tánaiste to attend informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney will attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, hosted by the Austrian presidency in Vienna on Thursday.

Mr Coveney will hold informal discussions on foreign policy issues from the Middle East to the Balkans to multilateralism.

The Tánaiste will engage in a wide-ranging discussion on the EU's engagement with Israel and Palestine, focusing on delivering a two-state solution.

On the subject of Iran, the EU will discuss the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. Mr Coveney will speak of his support for the Special Envoy and the efforts to bring about a Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political solution to the conflict.

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Recent developments in the Western Balkans will be on the agenda, where Ireland is a strong supporter of EU enlargement and the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Transatlantic relations will be discuss, focusing on how the EU and the US can work together at a global level. The EU ministers will exchange views with the foreign ministers on promoting effective multilateralism.